Doyle said the bill would have duplicated a federal law going into effect July 1 requiring applicants for Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, to prove they are U.S. citizens. He said that could have created confusion, added costs and hassles for U.S. citizens getting benefits. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and his wife served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia in the 1960's.

MADISON, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill Friday aimed at making it harder for illegal immigrants to receive government benefits, saying it went too far in requiring proof of citizenship of all beneficiaries.

Doyle, a Democrat, said while illegal immigrants should not receive public services, the bill would have meant "U.S. citizens would be denied services they need and for which they are eligible."

Illegal immigrants already are ineligible for government benefits but supporters of the bill said they were coming to Wisconsin because it was too easy to get around the restrictions.

The veto comes amid an intense national debate over how to treat millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally, and as Doyle begins his re-election campaign.

His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Green of Green Bay, said he would have signed the bill. "Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for benefits for illegal immigrants," he said in a statement.

The bill, approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature along party lines, would have required all applicants for state health care, food stamp and welfare programs to show proof of citizenship or legal immigration status. State workers would have had to certify the documents' authenticity or face fines.

Under current state law, state workers ask applicants if they're in the country legally. If the applicant answers yes, the workers don't have to verify the statement.

Doyle said the bill would have duplicated a federal law going into effect July 1 requiring applicants for Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, to prove they are U.S. citizens. He said that could have created confusion, added costs and hassles for U.S. citizens getting benefits.

"A senior citizen without access to a birth certificate might be denied needed prescriptions," he said in his veto message to lawmakers.

The bill passed in the Senate 19-14 and in the Assembly 51-42. That means lawmakers would likely be unable to override Doyle's veto, which would require two-thirds majorities in both houses.

Charity Eleson, executive director of Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, praised Doyle's veto. She said there's no evidence to suggest illegal immigrants are getting benefits and the requirement would have negatively affected everyone else.

For instance, she said the bill would have meant disaster victims who lost their personal belongings would have been denied benefits because they would not have documentation.

"It would have been very far reaching and we were quite concerned about the loss of critical health care, child care and other income supports for poor families," she said.

Phil Dougherty, deputy director of the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans, which represents 18 major health plans in Wisconsin, said the bill would have created a barrier to health insurance for eligible citizens.

"Our members were concerned that this legislation would create confusion and more bureaucracy," he said.

When this story was posted in July 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Jody Olsen is acting Peace Corps DirectorThe Senate confirmed Gaddi Vasquez to head the FAO on June 30. Jody Olsen will be acting Director until the President makes a permanent appointment. Olsen has been Deputy Director of the Peace Corps since 2002. She has previously served as Chief of Staff for two directors, as regional director for North Africa, Near East, and Asia and the Pacific, and as country director in Togo. She served in Tunisia as a PCV.

Changing the Face of HungerIn his new book, Former Congressman Tony Hall (RPCV Thailand) says humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism. An evangelical Christian, he is a big believer in faith-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Members of Congress have recently recommended that Hall be appointed special envoy to Sudan to focus on ending the genocide in Darfur.

PC will not return to East Timor in 2006Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that at this time, the Peace Corps has no plans to re-enter the country in 2006. The Peace Corps recently sent a letter offering eligible volunteers the opportunity to reinstate their service in another country.

Chris Dodd considers run for the White HouseSenator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress.

Vasquez testifies before Senate CommitteeDirector Vasquez testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. He has been the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. PCOL Comment: Read our thanks to Director Vasquez for his service to the Peace Corps.

Interview with a Hit ManRPCV John Perkins says that for many years he was an "economic hit man" in the world of international finance whose primary job was to convince less developed countries to accept multibillion dollar loans for infrastructure projects that left the recipient countries wallowing in debt and highly vulnerable to outside political and commercial interests. In this exclusive interview for "Peace Corps Online," Colombia RPCV Joanne Roll, author of Remember with Honor, talks to Perkins about his Peace Corps service, his relation with the NSA, "colonization" in Ecuador, the consequences of his work, why he decided to speak out, and what his hopes are for change.

Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA requestThe Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace CorpsTimothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case.

Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in dangerWhen the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Duluth News Tribune

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Tunisia; Politics; State Government; Immigration

PCOL3351559

Add a Message

This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.